Saturday, January 16, 2016

Google has confirmed that a balloon involved in its Project Loon struck power lines and knocked out electricity for some residents of a Washington town last week. The company told NBC News that the balloon was "in the process of a controlled landing" at around 1AM when it took out a small number of electrical lines. Prior to the descent, Google notified FAA officials of the landing to avoid any risk of interference with nearby air traffic.

Unfortunately, Google has no way of ensuring its balloons won't wreak havoc once they're closer to the ground; there's little the company can do about unexpected wind gusts, for example. Responding to the incident, a utility worker came upon "what appeared to be a weather balloon with blinking lights entangled in the power lines," reported the Yakima Herald Republic. The entire scene was cleared by 6AM.

To Google's credit, it's apparently done exhaustive research to prevent (or at least greatly minimize) accidents like these. The Project Loon website specifies that balloons are normally brought down over "preselected, safe recovery zones." They're all equipped with parachutes designed to automatically deploy if a balloon is falling too fast; these also help slow down emergency landings if and when they prove necessary. Google's goal with Project Loon is to beam down internet access to remote and rural areas that ordinarily receive poor connectivity — or none at all. A sophisticated balloon network is central to this effort; each balloon travels in the stratosphere, high above commercial air space, for several months at a time. The company obviously hopes to avoid incidents like this one as it pushes that mission forward.

A June 1994 US Air Force document, titled, “Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation Biological Effects and Safety Standards: A Review,” acknowledges the non-thermal health effects. Stated in its abstract, “It is known that electromagnetic radiation has a biological effect on human tissue.”The introduction of the report states that “researchers have discovered a number of biological dysfunctions that can occur in living organisms”and that “exposure of the human body to RF/MW [radio frequency/microwave] radiation has many biological implications” that range from “innocuous sensation of warmth to serious physiological damage to the eye,”and added that “there is also evidence that RF/MW radiation can cause cancer.”Biological impacts:“damage to major organs, disruption of important biological processes, and the potential risk of cancer,” among many others which include “mutagenic effects,” “cardiovascular effects,” negative effects on chromosomes, and notes that “Soviet investigators claim that exposure to low-level radiation can induce serious CNS [central nervous system] dysfunctions.” http://www.emfacts.com/2014/09/us-air-force-rf-review-in-1988-acknowledges-non-thermal-biological-effects/ https://electroplague.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/rf-microwave-radiation-biological-effects-rome-labs.pdf

What's interesting is that these reports from US government agencies all document negative health effects from microwave RF radiation at levels below thermal thresholds, and they were all published before the 1996 Telecommunications Act was passed by Congress. Section 704 of the TCA disallowed siting decisions for cell tower facilities based on health considerations as long as they don't exceed FCC's limits, which are thermal. The only valid reason for rejection allowed by the TCA is aesthetics, so many cell tower facilities are camouflaged so that people would not see them. This is why cell towers are on school property and next to schools and residential areas, and you don't even know they are there. How could this happen? The 1996 TCA was passed after $50 million dollars in political contributions was made (p. 115, Zapped, by Ann Louise Gittleman, http://www.amazon.com/Zapped-Shouldnt-Outsmart-Electronic-Pollution/dp/0061864285/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452930604&sr=8-2&keywords=zapped ) Since then telecom continues to obtain legislation in their favor, first with 6409a of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act which allows for colocations and approval of an additional 20' to a cell tower, then with AB 57 passing in California which allow for automatic approvals of cell tower applications if they are not processed within a certain time (150 days for new towers, 90 days for colocations) that they are submitted, and now they are lobbying to remove proof of significant gap from the 1996 TCA and replace with capacity.

Cell towers, cell phones, Wi-Fi, laptops may all be FCC compliant, but understand that FCC limits only means that there is not enough microwave radiation from it to cook you (i.e. cause a thermal effect). FCC limits do NOT protect you from all health effects that are well below the thermal threshholds as found in peer reviewed studies. FCC compliance is limited only to preventing heating effects. Realize that this is the "safety" standard which our government is using to protect our children and all citizens.

The tobacco industry knew since the '50s that tobacco caused cancer. But they funded scientific research that was intended to obfuscate its effects on health for decades. This has been done by, on the one hand denying the existing evidence, whilst on the other demanding absolute proof of causation and calling for more research. This research, much of which has been covertly funded by the tobacco industry, is designed to look at other causes of cancer and to water down the evidence linking smoking and disease. For example, the industry statements are peppered by fudging comments such as “unresolved” and "inconclusive.," Nothing has been “statistically proven”, no “scientific causality”, and no “conclusive proof”. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/16/...http://www.who.int/tobacco/media/en/Toba... Sound familiar?

In 1985, Dr Lennart Hardell, was one of the few scientists who said that Agent Orange was carcinogenic while Monsanto denied such claims http://www.theguardian.com/science/2006/... (In 2013, Agent Orange (made by Monsanto) was determined to increase chance of prostate cancer by 52%. Veterans from the Vietnam War were exposed to it. Agent Orange was used to spray large areas in Laos and Vietnam to clear forests in order to build bases. One million Vietnamese suffered disabilities or health problems as well as birth defects in children. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/1... ) He is an oncologist and professor of oncology from Sweden who served on WHO IARC (World Health Organization Int'l Agency Research for Cancer) when it classified microwave RF radiation as 2B possible carcinogen in 2011.

The authors regret to announce the following: The EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2015 has been retracted by the authors. During the preparation of the EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2015 several citations were lost and other errors were detected. This was completely unintentional and the authors are very sorry for this. However, the content and conclusions of the Guideline are not altered by this. A revised version will be published as soon as possible.

Loon Attack! Google Balloon Knocks Out Power Lines During Descent

byDEVIN COLDEWEY

What goes up must come down — but with a high-tech, high-altitude balloon,where it comes down isn't always so easy to tell. That's what Google's ambitiousProject Loon was reminded of when one of its floating Internet hot spots knocked out power lines in south-central Washington state.

Last week's incident was first reported in the Yakima Herald Republic shortly after the balloon crashed. Google confirmed Tuesday that the balloon, originally launched in Nevada, was in the process of a controlled landing when it struck power lines around 1 A.M., causing a few local outages.

Project Loon is an experiment in providing Internet access to distant areas by means of long-range wireless transceivers suspended from weather balloons. The floating access points are meant to stay aloft for about three months, travelling at a safe altitude and eventually coming down in more or less predictable fashion.

But a sudden breeze can still knock one off course during descent — which may be what happened to bring this one down near the town of Yakima County town of Harrah.

Google's balloons are operated with FAA approval, and the company said in a statement that "we coordinate with local air traffic control authorities and have a team dedicated to recovering the balloons when they land." In this case, that also meant working with the local utility company, Pacific Power, to fix things up.

Of course, anything from a falling branch to a stray kite can take out a power line, and the problem is usually resolved in short order.

Google Loon Wi-Fi balloon creates panic in New Zealand

Rescue helicopter dispatched for what was thought to be a crashing plane

When Google began testing its Wi-Fi enabling balloons, the company probably wasn't expecting to cause panic in New Zealand. The Wall Street Journal writes that the country's emergency services were contacted on Friday after one of the tech giant's balloons was mistaken for a crashing plane. A rescue helicopter was sent to investigate the presumed wreckage, which was reported to be seen off the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

Google has confirmed that one of its balloons had indeed landed in the sea. The Wall Street Journal was later told that it was difficult to keep balloons in one place because of wind conditions. Revealed last year, Google's Project Loon involves deploying hundreds of these balloons in an attempt to provide Internet coverage to remote locations throughout the world. Unfortunately, the company's endeavors have also caused some complications and were recently responsible for knocking out power lines in a Washington town.

Electrosensitivity: markers that do not extinguish the controversy

Here it is, finally, blood markers electrohypersensitivity: this is anew studyresearcher Dominique Belpomme, published in late 2015, which asserts.If it opens some interesting possibilities, the study suffers from major flaws, including that crucial, lack of control with healthy individuals.

Posted in Reviews on Environmental Health,the study of the Association for Cancer Therapeutics Research (ARTAC), chaired by Dominique Belpomme, is claimed by its authors as the first to describe blood markers electrohypersensitivity the waves.Hope for patients who suffer from a lack of medical face listening to an evil whose physiological mechanisms remain unknown, and without detailed biomarkers to date.In short, without an official explanation suffering long (and again) taken for a psychosomatic ill or psychiatric.Conducted on 727 patients with EHS or multiple chemical sensitivity, the study affirms the existence of blood markers previously identified in studies in animals: higher histamine levels in 40% of patients, nitrotyrosine in 28% of S100B protein in 15% [1], anti-O-myelin antibodies in 23%, and chaperone proteins hps27 and hsp30 in 33%.Brain imaging tests also suggest inflammation in parts of the brain, the limbic system and the thalamus.Evidence of the diseaseContacted by JDLE Philippe Irigaray, director of scientific research at the ARTAC and co-author of the study indicates that histamine elevation of markers, nitrotyrosine or S100B was found in 71.8% of patients and 75 electrohypersensitive % of those with multiple chemical sensitivity.According to the authors, both diseases involving inflammation, oxidative stress, autoimmune response and blood brain permeability, are two forms of the disease related to the same mechanism. "Our study shows that there are real factors [ biological] the origin of this disease, that these are real sick, and it is not a psychological disease, "commented Philippe Irigaray.It is also an important step for associations: in a statement, Etienne Cendrier, spokesman Robin des Toits, believes that these results are "likely to settle the artificial scientific controversy that only serves the economic interests of short- industrial term at the expense of public health. "Yet, and this is an understatement, Dominique Belpomme, whistleblower very supported by the electro associations, is not a man to make scientific consensus.Or if he does, it's usually against him in his favor.This does not prevent, defying critics raise sacred hare, notably in 2007 during the case of pesticide chlordecone in the French Antilles.The lack of controlsIt does not say that the methodology is highly appreciated by the scientific community.Its major flaw: the absence of controls, ie healthy individuals.Without it difficult to say to what extent the figures are far from normal.Contacted by JDLE, the Yves Drean, Rennes researcher at Irset [2] and a specialist in cellular effect of waves, believes that "the study does not present statistics", and that "it is not so not very informative. "Especially that "many markers are nonspecific, eg histamine characteristic of allergies, or chaperone proteins in certain cancers."However, Yves Le Drean judge that "the study is interesting from a biological point of view, even if it says nothing about the relations of cause and effect.We know very well that these people have health problems, but it is not known why they have them, and if the waves are responsible.And this study does not show that the waves are responsible. "New track for challenge studies?"These are just the raw results of a population," he added.Despite its flaws, the study opens interesting avenues of research.Especially with the so-called studies "provocative": they are to install electro patients in a closed room and then to expose or not to wave.For now, most of these studies have been inconclusive, people failing to know or not exposed.For Yves Le Drean, "it would be interesting to replicate by measuring changes in these blood markers."The failure of provocation studies is one of the main reasons of scientific skepticism vis-à-vis the EHS and a source of anger for associations. "Maybe it's not the only waves can -be it's something most waves: it really is a mystery, and it is very problematic for those people who are suffering.They do not have more psychiatric problems than the general population: their evil is real, "Judge Yves Le Drean.What about the toxicity of the air? "In the short term, studies show that there is not much to fear.But in the long term, the question is not lifted, "said the researcher Rennes.Dominique Belpomme "advances too in its conclusions":"the worst, we may be facing poisonous in very small doses, with possible effects cocktail" with other agents, he said.Among other work on the air, this study will be on the menu of a group of experts of the National Health Security Agency for Food, Environment and Labour (Anses), which is preparing for the end of year a report on the issue of EHS, have we learned from a source close to the matter.[1] The nitrotyrosine and S100B are markers permeability of the blood-brain barrier, which separates the blood system of the brain.According to some work, contradicted by others, it would be weakened in electro.[2] Health Research Institute, Environment and Labour (Irset) is under the supervision of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), University Rennes 1, the school of public health (EHESP) and the University Hospital of Rennes.

Vincent Lauer, an engineer from Nantes, France, indicated the June 24 has been selected as a day of action to alert the public to the dangers of microwave radiation.

375 groups from around the world unite to inform EU of dangers of 'Project Loon'

Mdme. Rivasi was presented with the petition from groups concerned about the activities of Google anf the drones programme announced by Facebook.

The petition presented to Mdme. Rivasi states, in part: We know that millions of people in the developed world have already become functionally disabled, due to the electromagnetically polluted environments produced by terrestrially based wireless communication infrastructures. Many persons have been forced to flee their homes and jobs, experiencing great difficulties finding a safe and sustainable place to live. Some have sought refuge in remote areas where wireless internet is spotty or nonexistent.With the deployment of Project Loon and other space-based wireless communications projects proposed or underway, and the Project’s widespread deployment of microwave radiation, such persons will have no place to go.

For full text see attached PDF.

Additional Endorsements for petition to Mme. Rivasi, MEP

Hello John,

Sarah Dacre sent around an email about your efforts in respect of Project Loon. I don't know if there is anything I can do to help, but morally I am behind you 100%.

Google and Facebook, and I believe one of the other major Silicon Valley players, have such arrogance, feeling that because they CAN do it, they WILL do this, and simply ignore any objections as being of the loony fringe. Silicon Valley is enamoured of the technology, but who gives them the right to force it upon the rest of humanity?

ES-UK has passed to me, among others, your paper for the EU on Project Loon. I write to say that I fully support it. My circumstances are that I was rendered particularly sensitive to wi-fi, and also to mobile phone signals, among other forms of electromagnetic radiation, by exposure to a chemical agent (builders’ foam containing isocyanates), in 2012. I am a former senior UK civil servant, and first reacted to this chemical in 1988, in a refurbished Government building. The second major, accidental, exposure turned on sensitivity to wi-fi. Why this should be I have no idea. However, now I am very restricted in where I can go, and have had to give up my (second) career as a tour guide.

My primary symptom is severe pain in my tongue. Most of the time I can avoid or minimise the pain it if I avoid the stimuli as far as possible, and this means, for example, that even visiting neighbours’ houses I have to ask them in advance to switch off their transmitting machinery. My neighbours in the house attached to mine are luckily helpful. I wear a clothing layer of protective netting (manufactured for occupational protection to radiofrequency radiation), when in unfamiliar or problem places.

I spend a lot of time in the countryside well away from wi-fi, and this brings relief and recuperation. If wi-fi from the sky is beamed everywhere there will be no-where I can go for relief. It seems completely unreasonable to do this.

You may use this email or the details from it as a case in point should you so wish. I can provide more details on demand.

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About Me

While I have always been extremely health conscious and am presently in excellent health, I did become temporarily out-of-commission (i.e. I was really sick) in 2005 with a number of at the time unexplainable symptoms. I was quite puzzled at the time because I had been eating mainly organically grown food, drinking spring water, doing Yoga every morning, and going to the gym several times a week. In other words, I was doing everything one is supposed to do to stay healthy. I was not supposed to get sick. It took me six months before discovering or even imagining the main source of the problem - which was in fact "overexposure to electromagnetic" - especially microwave - radiation. I was living within 200 meters of two cell phone towers at the time and within 500 meters of a 3rd one with numerous WiFi signals bleeding into my apartment from adjacent neighbors. I developed a host of symptoms, which are found in what has been misleadingly described as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) -- but much more accurately described as Radio Wave or Microwave Sickness. Large numbers of people in the USA suddenly started getting sick in 1984...